Bear Grylls Wild Living

[JonathanD]

Had a flick through this today. Much along the lines of Rays Bushcraft book, but it was something a little different so I picked it up. It's actually an enjoyable read and great for the upcoming shrafter and boy scout. Pity that Discovery channel want gung ho rubbish, a series based around this book would be great. I recommend it.

On offer at Amazon....

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Living-Wild...=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1254417498&sr=8-1

 

[Mang]

I was looking at getting this book. Actually in the BG Q & A that Bushcraft and Survival skills magazine did I asked a similar question along the lines of would you consider a northern hemisphere style bushcraft and skills series, to which Bear said he'd love to but he ain''t the boss!

 

[Shewie]

Is there anything new to learn or is it just repeating what all the other books tell us ?

Is it relevant to the UK climate or is it more about biting heads off snakes and sleeping in a camel ?

I like a good read so my queries are genuine

 

[DavidJT]

Agree with all of the above, book is much more considered and skills based than the TV. He could'nt do a chapter on how to climb up water falls, jump out of helicopters, etc. etc.
Sooner or later a kid is going to do some crazy copycat stunt and get seriously hurt, but the book is good.
Lets not start a whole BG rant / vs RM thread though, that's been done to death.
By the way the Commando book is much better...

http://www.bushcraftuk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=40127

 

[Siberianfury]

its not bear that i dislike, i think he seems a nice genuine guy, wereas ray seems a little
bit more full of himself.
i dislike bears shows, but then again the style of how the shows are made arent down to him, its the dicovery channel and channel 4 who want a fat pace exciting gung ho type thing. i think if he was doing the same sort of things as ray he would be great.

 

[JonathanD]

This is Bears book without someone making him do it for money. I recommend it due to the way he writes it with an injection of humour and personality. Some good stuff in there and new too. Although very similar to RM's Bushcraft book, it is also different. Relevant info for the UK. I'm enjoying it.

 

[Fizzlebang]

My copy arrived on friday, not had time to start reading yet but looks ok. Nice to note it's all on good basic stuff and no helicoptors anywhere.

 

[fast but dim]

as an aside i met BG in abersoch over the summer in a deli ( he was buying a guacamole sandwich ).I didn't know he was in front of me, so when he turned round i couldn't help but laugh and say "jesus, bear grylls"

we had a 20 second chat about scouting, and he left. When i got outside he came over with his son, marmaduke(!) and a golden lab on a piece of string and we had a bit of a chat and a crack. I'm no fan of his tv, but he was a thoroughly sound and friendly bloke.

 

[ril25]

It's a great book, unlike Bear's Tv show. It's very well written, reminds me of Baden-Powell's Scouting for Boys.
However I got confused on p. 114.
Purified water should be kept in dark containers or under cover, as ultra-violet rays from the sun can neutralize the effect of your purifying agents.
Could you explain this? As I know, ultra-violet rays are used to purify water, as it can destroy micro-organisms, so i wonder why should be kept in dark.
Thanks.

 

[santaman2000]

UV can purify water true; but if your using chemicals treatments then you have to be careful that the UV doesn't neutralize them instead. In short, pick one method and stick to it, rather like a Dr not giving scripts for meds that counteract one another.

 

[Dave]

its not bear that i dislike, i think he seems a nice genuine guy.....

They all beat 'normal' TV but as you say there is some tongue in cheek, for the astute, as some presenters realise it's all a show........

 

[Ffin72]

Is there anything new to learn or is it just repeating what all the other books tell us ?

It's a book for scouts rather than bushcrafters, and has chapters on fitness and diet, and spirituality. I've read some of Rays books, among others, and I learnt some new things from Bear.

Is it relevant to the UK climate or is it more about biting heads off snakes and sleeping in a camel ?

The book covers all climates where relevant. For example, the section on first aid covers heatstroke and hypothermia, and the section on weather covers windchill.

It's about 20 years since I went into the wild carrying everything I need, so I bought this book as a beginners guide, and I enjoyed it so much I'm re-reading it.

 

[Docherty]

its the dicovery channel and channel 4 who want a fat pace exciting gung ho type thing.

or possibly even a Phat pace for all you 90's rap-metal fans out there, who also like bushcraft, so are probably not acutally out there at all...

I like Bear (and am in no suggesting we kill Ray/people who like Ray more/people who hat bear etc etc) because he seems like a thoroughly nice guy and has behaved well in spite of criticism to the show and some pretty rude criticism of him as a person - seems to be doing good things for the scout movement from what I hear and might have to put this book on the Christmas list - cheers for the heads up JD.